[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15307]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         COMBAT DRONE PROGRAMS

  (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. KUCINICH. American drones in Pakistan have killed as many as 
3,378 people. Drones in Yemen have killed as many as 1,952 people. 
Drones in Somalia have killed as many as 170 people. We've not declared 
war on any of these nations, but our weapons have killed innocent 
civilians in all of them. Highly reputable research shows that the 
number of high-level targets killed as a percentage of total casualties 
is estimated at about 2 percent.
  According to The Washington Post, the Obama administration is working 
on efforts to institutionalize the practice of targeted killings by 
unmanned drones abroad. The volume of these killings challenges the 
morality and the legality of the attacks. We are creating a precedent 
for other nations that are developing the same technology. China has 
just unveiled a new drone.
  The drone program has thus far been conducted with no oversight from 
Congress or any judicial body. Congress has a constitutional 
responsibility to ensure that programs that are being conducted in the 
name of our Nation are legal, transparent, and accountable. We are 
holding a briefing tomorrow about this exact matter.

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